Things to do in your garden in October.
Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Please contact John for more information!
October Garden Tips:
- After a warm summer, FALL is definitely here, with the risk of nighttime FROST. Watch for the warnings.
- There is an annual argument among gardeners as to whether you should cut back your perennials, ornamental grasses, etc., in the fall, or leave them long for “winter interest”. However, up here, most perennials are covered by 2 feet of snow, so you can’t see them anyway. Spring Clean-Up can be daunting. There may be wet weather, or a late spring. For these reasons, I am opting for a BIG FALL CLEAN-UP again this year to get a jump on spring 2027.
- I say it’s time to trim back perennials and divide them as needed, so you can expand your garden, or give to your neighbors, or pot them up for the St. George’s plant sale in May next year (and get a Tax Receipt from the Church for the value they sell for). Make sure it is a cool, cloudy day and add a little bone meal fertilizer to the bottom of the pots, and/or with your new bulbs you are planting. October is also a great time to plant perennials. They will get a big Head Start in your garden next spring.
- Buy and plant a variety of spring flowering bulbs. Add a little bulb fertilizer, like bone meal, to the bottom of the hole, and water well to get the roots started. Your efforts NOW will bring big dividends in April, May and June 2027. For a longer bloom season, plant different varieties of bulbs, like winter aconite, snow drops and crocus for early bloom. You can also plant early, middle and late blooming tulips and daffs for a much longer season.
- Try lasagna bulb planting for a longer bloom time in the same spot. Dig the planting hole a little deeper and put bone meal in the bottom. Then a little soil. Plant the late blooming bulbs like tulips first and cover them with a little soil. Then the daffodils and more soil. And finally, add the crocus near the top of the hole. You will get 3 months of bloom in the same spot, but unfortunately, no lasagna!
- Place chicken wire just under the surface of the soil over any tulip bulbs you plant. The squirrels will hate you. Daffs should not need this protection.
- If there is an early frost warning, cover tender annuals outside overnight with an old bed sheet. They should make it through the night and keep on blooming.
- Bring outside house plants inside when the evenings start to cool down, or when you get a frost warning. First give them a thorough spray with insecticidal soap, so that there are no unwanted hitchhikers coming into your home.
- Fertilize lawns with a low “first” number and high “middle” number or with a “Fall Formula” fertilizer. No bags with a high 3rd number. It’s nitrogen for rapid growth!
- Start cutting your grass much lower than in summer to avoid ‘winter matted’ long grass next spring.
- Water shrubs, evergreens and trees weekly and deeply at least until frost.
John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Beaver Valley Probus Club